(18 April 2008) A committee of the International Labour Organisation explored the use of ILO Convention 94 on Labour Clauses in Public Contracts. It publishes a detailed survey. The findings confirm the long campaign of EPSU and members of the European parliament that this convention should be referred to and used in EU procurement directives. The survey says that the EU Directives are compatible with the Convention. The committee argues further: "In the light of the greater impact of globalization on an increasing number of member States and the related heightening of competitive pressures, the Committee further considers the objectives of the Convention to be even more valid today than they were 60 years ago and to strengthen the ILO's call for fair globalization."
It argues also "that the purpose and object of the Convention remain intrinsically sound. In this sense, the Committee considers Convention No. 94 to be an underused instrument. At a time when the ILO core labour standards and the 1998 ILO Declaration are gaining prominence in the field of international human rights law and international trade law, Convention No. 94 offers a unique opportunity and a normative platform on which the ILO could build a comprehensive standard for the promotion of decent labour conditions in public contracts.
The Committee therefore considers that there is real potential in infusing new life into the Convention and making it the focus for socially responsible public procurement operations. The current proliferation of private voluntary initiatives and other international and regional efforts reviewed in Chapter III above confirms the urgent need for harmonization and standard setting at the international level. In view of these developments, the Committee is of the view that there is a need for the ILO to act even more promptly with a view to marking the Convention's presence and formulating coherent proposals for integrating social criteria into public contracting."
- To read the detailed Survey 'Labour clauses in public contracts' open document below:
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